𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄

Chapter 15

Chapter 15: "Chapter Fifteen"

The second good thing to happen that day did not occur until much later in the day, when Draco was returning from his errands. He was still cold, still hungry, and still tired and aching, but his heart felt lighter at the thought that he had made somebody's day just a little bit better. Even as he trudged up the street, there was a slight spring in his steps, and his shoulders seemed a bit more relaxed than usual.

The sun was just setting as he neared the school, and he paused, admiring the golden glow that it cast on the cobbled streets, the brick façades. He was so distracted by the beauty that he almost walked straight into a large table that was sitting in the middle of the road.

That was enough to give him pause. Large tables had no place being in the middle of a street, even in a Wizarding community. When he looked around, he realized that the house next door to the Seminary, the one that had been empty for so long, must have been taken at last. The doors were open, the curtains were pulled back, and three or four men were levitating the last of the furniture in from the streets.

He stepped across to the other side of the street, to be out of their way, and watched the proceedings with great interest. He always felt as if one could tell very much about a person by the type of furniture they possessed, and he very much longed to learn about this new neighbor. So he waited, studying the dark-wooded, elegant but classically simple chairs, the tastefully upholstered sofa, the rich yet conservative desk.

"They are all beautiful things," he said to himself, finally dragging himself away from the sight. "Whoever is to live here must be very rich indeed."

The next day, he noticed another large quantity of furniture in the streets, and his heart gave a little leap of recognition as the next piece of furniture - a beautifully carved teakwood table - was brought out. He had seen one just like it when he'd lived in India, and the memories it brought with it were almost painful.

Over the course of the next few days, Draco watched as, gradually, the house was filled up with more elegant and beautiful things. Somehow, although they spoke of riches and good taste, they were almost austere in nature, making him wonder as to the true nature of this new neighbor.

"Perhaps it is a couple," he murmured aloud as an elegantly carved bed was taking in, followed shortly thereafter by a very plain, straight-backed rocking chair, "and one of them is conservative while the other likes being surrounded by beautiful things?"

The teakwood table had not been the only Indian item he'd seen. It had been followed by a few statues of elephants, a cabinet with an intricately wrought iron door, and a large ebony chest. "Someone in the family must have been in India," he breathed, excited and homesick all at once. "I am so glad. Maybe I shall feel as if they are friends, even though I may only see them through windows."

That evening, he received yet another surprise. The father of the Large Family came up the street, a slight spring in his step, and ran up the stairs to the house in a very comfortable sort of way. He was inside for quite a long time, and several times he came out and directed the workmen levitating boxes. It seemed that he had some authority there, as the workmen appeared to be obeying his instructions, and Draco gathered that he was in some way connected to the new neighbors.

He began to construct a Supposition, in which the newcomers had a large, happy family as well, and the house next door was often filled with screaming, laughing, happy children, the Montmorencys and the newcomers together, while Draco sat in his attic and looked in their window, watching them and allowing himself to enjoy life through them.

It was many weeks before his curiosity was satisfied, though. It turned out the next-door neighbor was not a family, but was rather a solitary gentleman with a grim, weary face. His skin was very sallow, he had dark bruises under his eyes, his black hair was lank and hung limply about his angular jaw, and his thin body was weak and emaciated, his sharp elbows and sunken stomach visible even through his all-encompassing black robes. He was visited often by the father and mother of the Large Family, both of whom would stay for long periods of time. The father always brought with him a briefcase, while the mother carried lumpy bags of various shapes and sizes. Draco invented stories about what they could be taking him, and his suppositions ranged from something as sensible as a sweater or hot soup to something as ridiculous and fantastical as the secret to immortality.